By Sama Marwan,
North Korea has produced a nuclear-powered submarine, which may be capable of carrying up to 10 missiles, according to the American magazine Newsweek.
On Saturday, North Korea’s state media published images of leader Kim Jong-un standing next to a vessel claimed to be capable of carrying strategic guided missiles.
According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, this is the first time Pyongyang has publicly revealed the construction of such a vessel. In 2021, Kim had pledged to introduce a nuclear-powered submarine in response to what he called the escalating military threats from the United States. Washington is undoubtedly concerned about this development.
The North Korean leader inspected the nuclear-powered submarine construction project, warning that Pyongyang’s naval defense capabilities “will fully manifest in any necessary waters without restrictions,” according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which did not disclose the date or location of Kim’s visit.
The agency stated that a “strategic guided missile nuclear-powered submarine” was under construction and published images of the leader and his officials standing next to it.
Yonhap noted that this term likely refers to a nuclear-powered submarine capable of launching ballistic missiles, known as a ballistic missile submarine (SSBN).
Moon Keun-sik, a South Korean submarine expert from Hanyang University in Seoul, told the Associated Press that the vessel appears to be a 6,000 or 7,000-ton-class submarine capable of carrying about 10 missiles armed with nuclear warheads.
Moon added that, given the heavy sanctions imposed on North Korea, the submarine may have been built with assistance from Russia in exchange for supplying weapons and troops to support Russia’s war efforts against Ukraine.
KCNA did not provide any detailed specifications about the vessel, merely stating that “Kim reviewed the ongoing work to achieve the goal of warship construction.”
North Korea possesses a fleet of up to 90 diesel-powered submarines, although most are outdated and can only launch torpedoes and mines, not missiles. According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative—a U.S.-based research center—North Korea is estimated to have between 64 and 86 submarines, though experts doubt all of them are operational.
In 2023, Pyongyang claimed to have launched its first “tactical nuclear attack submarine,” but foreign experts were skeptical, speculating that it was likely a diesel-powered submarine first revealed in 2019.
Since 2016, North Korea has conducted underwater ballistic missile launch tests from a 2,000-ton submarine equipped with a single launch tube. Experts have described this vessel as a test platform rather than an operational submarine.
Relations between the two Koreas have reached their lowest point in years, with the South accusing the North of sending soldiers to fight alongside Russian forces in the Ukraine war.
Last week, Pyongyang tested strategic cruise missiles in the Yellow Sea, stating that the aim was to demonstrate its ability to conduct a counterattack.
Meanwhile, South Korea and its ally, the United States, are set to begin the “Freedom Shield” military exercises later this month.
Earlier this month, the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson docked at the port of Busan, a move that North Korea strongly condemned.
